haven a hard time in a job dont know how to do anything

robertt55

i have been working in a shop the last couple of months i am only in mt teens but i cant seem to get the hang of anything i am only in work once a week so its hard to learn and its only a five hour shift can anyone give me any advice should i quite or keep working really need help with this thanks

Stheno

Have you asked your manager and colleagues for help?

Kia_Kaha

robertt55 wrote: »

i have been working in a shop the last couple of months i am only in mt teens but i cant seem to get the hang of anything i am only in work once a week so its hard to learn and its only a five hour shift can anyone give me any advice should i quite or keep working really need help with this thanks

Definitely keep working. Maybe you could volunteer somewhere, like a charity shop, on some of your days off? It would give you experience and look good on your C.V. That's what I did when I left school with no experience. Six months later I applied for and got my first full-time job.

robertt55

yeah i have see its just hard because i am only in 5 hours a week and most of the time i dont be using the tills or anything just on the floor

Equality

Watch what other staff are doing, and copy them. Try to figure out who is able to teach you to do stuff. Some people, no matter how nice they are, just can't teach. There is a trick to a lot of things, even just to folding a top so that is displays nicely in a shop. Watch to see who is good at things you need to do, and learn from them. No manager expects a teenager to be brilliant, so a lot of it is common sense.The most important thing in a shop is to be friendly to everyone, including staff and customers. If you get upset, that adds to any problem. So try to be calm if a problem occurs, most problems are easy to solve.

robertt55

yeah equality thanks see i am good at working the floor its just the cash resigerst that i have problems with

spurious

Tell one of your managers. Ask could you come in a bit early or stay behind one day to go over how to use the registers.

Mr. Loverman

What exactly is the problem with the register?

Here's a tip if it doesn't tell you what change to give:

Count upwards!

Let's say the bill is 73 cents and the customer gives you a euro. Don't subtract 73 from 100 trying to figure it out, just count upwards as you take change out of the till...

Take out 20 cents... 73 83 93
Take out 2 cents... 95
Take out 5 cents... 100

It's a very simple system and makes giving out change very easy.

mikemac1

Repeat back the order

Customers says 20 Benson, then you say "20 Benson, no problem"
Same with Lotto, customer wants 8 euro quick pick no plus, then you repeat this back to them

Ever go to a pub and the barman repeats the order back to you? It's done to help them remember it and avoid mistakes

And most importantly do this with cash
Taximan gives 30 euro to pay for 23 euro of fuel you say, "right so, change of 30"
This makes it clear and the fecker won't argue that he gave you 50

robertt55

see im am good with the money its just finding out wear everything is like the names of smokes and all the other products

mikemac1

When you are nervous you make more mistakes

Stop beating yourself up and if you can relax a bit your job will become a lot easier

If you're stressing and worrying and the internal voice is saying "don't mess this up" well you are definitely going to mess it up

Corruptedmorals

It's a newsagents? Why not do something like walk around another branch (franchise?) of the same shop, or a similar one. Just to understand what goes where, like what is important and near the till/front and the other aisles. Do NOT be afraid to ask a nice manager or colleague for help, or to explain something to you. Once you know then you'll be fine.

If someone asks 'Do you have any X?' and you don't know, then just say 'I'm not sure, let me just ask Y, one second'. No need to panic because you don't know exactly, and you are still getting the answer quickly for the customer as well as learning the answer yourself next time.

Mrs OBumble

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

What exactly is the problem with the register?

Here's a tip if it doesn't tell you what change to give:

Count upwards!

Let's say the bill is 73 cents and the customer gives you a euro. Don't subtract 73 from 100 trying to figure it out, just count upwards as you take change out of the till...

Take out 20 cents... 73 83 93
Take out 2 cents... 95
Take out 5 cents... 100

It's a very simple system and makes giving out change very easy.

It's a great tip - except that it's totally irrelevant in 99.99% of businesses where the procedure is for you to use the till to do the calculations: if you try to do it manually you are probably breaking the rules - and breaking the rules is the worse thing you can do.

OP relax, working 5 hours/week, they're not expecting a lot from you. Just concentrate on learning what you can on the days when you're there.


BTW, the way I learned counting change back, you should start with the smallest possible coin that "rounds" the amount up to a "less specific" value.

So for 73c out of 100:

- 1c, no, it doesn't roung
- 2c, yes it rounds to 75
- 5c, yes it rounds to 80c
- 10c, no, it would be 90c which is no more rounded
- 20c yes, it's more rounded

"So, it's 73 from 100, that's 70, 75, 80 and 100"

JustAThought

O God you make it sound so complicated!!!! Thank God you' re right + the tills do it all!

OP relax - lots of great advise herr - be friendly + smiley + positive. Youre on the floors so youtr the front man + the multi-tasking friendly useful customer facing extra person!

They wouldnt have you if they didnt like or want you. Keep positive + keep smiling!

Equality

Could you spend some time at the till when the shop is quiet? Learn how to use the till when there are just a few customers in the shop and there is no queue at the till.

Some tills have different items listed on the till. This is more difficult than a till where you just scan a barcode. If this is the problem, you could take a photo of the till using your mobile phone camera, and then learn off where each button on the till is located.